International Research Journal of Teacher Education

Vol. 5(1), pp. 064-072, February, 2020. © www.premierpublishers.org. ISSN: 2593-1792

Research Article

Availability and Utilisation of Teaching Resources as

Predictors of Secondary Schools Students’ Achievement
in Oral English in The Gambia
*1Oladotun Opeoluwa OLAGBAJU, PhD, 2Abdoulie SENGHORE
1Department of Linguistic Education, College of Education & Social Sciences, Legacy University, The Gambia
2School of Arts & Sciences, The University of The Gambia, Brikama

Researchers have attributed poor performance in Oral English to poor instruction. Availability
and utilization of teaching resources in Oral English instruction has been found to be inadequate.
Research design was descriptive and data was analysed using regression analysis. The results
show that students’ achievement in Oral English had a non-significant positive low relationship
with availability (r = .079; p>.05) but a non-significant negative low relationship with utilization of
teaching resources (r = -.112; p>.05). Joint contribution of the two independent variables was not
significant on achievement and relative contribution of availability (β = .175; t = .720; p>.05) and
utilization (β = -.151; t = -.622; p>.05) was not significant.

Keywords: Oral English, Teaching Resources, Availability, Utilisation, Achievement

INTRODUCTION

The English Language is strategic in the different spheres
of the Gambian national life. Although there are several
indigenous languages in the Gambia, English language
has been assigned a significant role in the polity. Some of
these roles include the official language, language of
education, language of business and a core subject in the
Gambian educational system. Similarly, almost all the
other subjects in the school curriculum are taught using the
English language and this suggests that success in the
language will guarantee students’ success in all other
subjects in the school system. Apart from the roles played
by the English language in the system of education in the
Gambia, the language is also often used in politics,
education, mass media, transaction, religion, and other
aspects of national life.
As a subject taught and learned within the Gambian school
system, the different skills of the language are taught from
basic schools to the senior secondary school. Olagbaju
(2015) avers that success in the different skills of the
English language - listening, speaking, reading and writing
- is generally considered as success in the subject in both
internal and external examinations. The implication of this
is that students’ learning outcomes in English language
examinations is connected to success in the different
subjects taught in the school system. Oral English is taught
as part of the speaking skill of the language to the students
and the content of the curriculum covers both the
segmental and suprasegmental or prosodic features of the
English sound pattern. The spoken or oral English aspect
is considered the most problematic of all the language
skills because most of the language teachers (mostly
second language speakers) are not proficient in the
production of some of the speech sounds of the English
language.
Therefore, it is either the teacher avoids teaching the
spoken aspect of the language wholly or takes parts that
are convenient for him or her. Also, some teachers transfer
their errors in the pronunciation of English speech sounds
to their students who themselves are mostly second
language learners. This is because in most cases, a
Gambian child would have acquired one or more
*Corresponding Author: Oladotun Opeoluwa
OLAGBAJU, PhD; Department of Linguistic Education,
College of Education & Social Sciences, Legacy University,
The Gambia. Email: dotunolagbaju@yahoo.com;
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0192-9199 Co-
Author 2Email: abdoulie.senghore@utg.edu.gm

Availability and Utilisation of Teaching Resources as Predictors of Secondary Schools Students’ Achievement in Oral English in The Gambia
Olagbaju and Senghore 065
indigenous language(s) before encountering English
language as a core subject and the medium of instruction
in school. This is perhaps why most Gambian students’
proficiency in the speaking or oral skills of English
language is poor and heavily influenced by Mother Tongue
(MT) interference. Poor performance in the test of oral
aspects of the English language examination has
contributed immensely to the perennial mass failure
recorded in the subject by Gambian students over the
years.
Available data on the performance of secondary school
students in the Gambia especially in public examinations
showed that over 90% of the Gambian students who sat
for 2018 West African Senior Secondary school Certificate
(WAEC) Examination failed most of the subjects they
registered for particularly subjects like Mathematics and
English language. Out of the 13, 335 candidates registered
for the examination in 2018 from the 116 schools in the
Gambia, only 475 (3.56%) candidates obtained credit
passes in 5 subjects and above including English and
Mathematics. This shows a decrease in the pass ratio
when compared to students’ performance in 2017 when
530 (4.30%) of the candidates registered obtained five
credit passes including English and Mathematics.
According to Touray (2018), the Ministry of Education
described the 2018 performance as an improvement when
one considers the fact that apart from the 475 candidates
who obtained five credit passes in English and
Mathematics, there are other 1,629 (out of 13,335)
candidates who have 5 credits or more with at least a pass
in English or Math or both.
From the analysis above, it is evident that mass failure in
English and mathematics is a perennial problem in the
Gambia. However, minimum of credit passes in English
language and Mathematics remains one of the criteria for
admission into any of the Universities in the Gambia (FRG,
NAQAA, 2019). The implication of the data on students’
performance above is that the standard of education is
falling as only 3.56% of the total numbers of students that
registered and sat for the 2018 WASSCE are eligible for
admission into any of the Universities in the Gambia. And
this will continue to create a huge deficit in quality man
power development and capacity building in the Gambia
as a developing country. The desire to stem the tide of the
falling standard of education in the country has provoked
several interventions by the Gambian government through
agencies and teachers aimed at improving students’
performance in public examinations in general and English
language in particular.
Most of these interventions have largely focused on
development of the hardware (concrete aspect) of
education such as construction of classrooms and school
furniture, provision of donkeys and cart to transport female
students in the remote areas to government-owned
schools, flexibility in policy to reabsorb girl-child to school
Availability and Utilisation of Teaching Resources as Predictors of Secondary Schools Students’ Achievement in Oral English in The Gambia
after childbirth, massive training and retraining of language
teachers and so on (Freedom Newspaper, August, 2018).
In spite of all these interventions, it is sad to note that
students’ performance in English language especially in
external examinations has been very poor. Other scholars
(Akeredolu-Ale, 2007; Tom-Lawyer, 2014; Olagbaju,
2015) have equally submitted that poor performance in the
English language still persists to a very large extent among
students at the senior secondary and tertiary levels of
education. Several teacher-related factors have been
attributed to the persistent and increasing failure rates in
English language among students and some of these
include teacher’s training and qualification (Olagbaju,
2019), teaching styles (Zeeb, 2004), inappropriate
instructional strategy (Olagbaju, 2015), unavailability or
poor utilisation of teaching resources (Adeosun, 2002;
Tom-Lawyer, 2014) among other factors.
From the above, it can be inferred that most of the studies
aimed at improving students’ achievement in the English
have largely focused on teachers’ personality and the
choice of instructional strategies employed in the
instructional procedure. However, no matter how
promising an instructional strategy is, it must be effectively
combined with teaching resources before quality learning
can occur. Some of these teaching resources include
instructional materials (ICT laboratory (Daramola, 2011),
tapes, audio/radio machine, slides, projectors, charts and
other teaching aids) and their influence on language
instruction has not been conclusively investigated.
Teaching and learning activities in Oral English are often
direct and frontal in approach with the little or no use of
teaching resources. Instructional practices in Oral English
are textbook-based in most Gambian schools and focused
largely on making the learners pass examinations and not
on building communicative competence in the target
language.
Research attention needs to be further directed towards
teaching resources and activities to improve the teaching
of English in the senior secondary schools in the Gambia.
Several studies have investigated the relationship
between teaching resources (technical, electronic or
manual), teachers’ effectiveness and students’
achievement. Lasisi (2001) emphasises the use of
appropriate teaching resources in the process of teaching
if the method or instructional strategy employed will be
effective. The use of teaching resources in instruction is
non-negotiable and should not be sacrificed for the use of
innovative instructional strategies. The use of resources
such as ICT, language laboratory, charts and other
teaching aids such as dictionaries, audio-based media or
tapes in the teaching of English language is very important.
Scholars have identified immense benefits of making use
of some of these resources in teaching. For example,
Adeosun (2002) asserts that through the use of
technological-driven resources in teaching, the world could
be brought to the classroom.

Similarly, Ofodu and Oso (2015) posit that modern
technology can be effectively employed as resources to
make the process of teaching easy, exciting, instructing
and interesting. The use of Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) has significantly
influenced pedagogy and instructional procedures in
schools all over the world. This is because instructional
materials and textbooks are now very affordable and
available in electronic formats. Resources such as
computers, overhead projectors, interactive smart boards
and other electronic devices can be used to upgrade the
quality of teaching, enhance students’ performance and
enrich learning experience in the classroom. Also, when
used as teaching resources, ICT can proffer solution to
teaching-learning problems, aid knowledge recall/transfer
and help students overcome the social problems posed by
dependence on the chalk and talk method of instruction.
The influence of teaching resources such as ICT, e-books,
textbooks, dictionaries and other materials have been
investigated by several scholars with different findings.
The study considers ICT, e-books, audio device/tape
recorder, charts and dictionaries as some of the teaching
resources used in English language instruction. Oyinloye
and Gbenedio (2010) describe ICT as a very useful tool in
the teaching and learning of a second language. Also,
Ofodu and Oso (2015) reiterate that ICT offers special
visual demonstrations and vivid illustrations when used in
English language instruction. With the use of resources
such as language laboratory for speech demonstration
and listening drills, students can be effectively taught to
articulate speech sounds. Ofodu (2007) reported that word
processing and communication software were found to
have contributed to the development of pupils’ language
and communication skills.
It is evident that most of the teaching resources such as
the interactive board, language laboratory, and ICT that
are technologically based are too expensive or complex to
manage in a developing country like the Gambia.
However, most of the learners have cell phones with
android technology and access to the internet. It is evident
that most studies reviewed so far have largely focused on
teachers’ awareness and utilisation of technological
resources in teaching without necessarily considering the
availability and utilisation of other resources that are
readily available in the classroom. Some of such teaching
resources that are not totally technological driven include
cell phones, charts, textbooks, e-books, educational or
learning applications. There is a dearth of literature on the
availability and utilisation of teaching resources on the
teaching of Oral English in the Gambia because most of
the government-owned schools cannot boast of any form
of e-books, standard library, language laboratory, internet
facility or an ICT laboratory. Therefore, this study will
examine the availability and utilisation of teaching
resources on senior secondary school students’
achievement in Oral English in the Gambia.
Availability and Utilisation of Teaching Resources as Predictors of Secondary Schools Students’ Achievement in Oral English in The Gambia
Int. Res. J. Teacher Educ. 066
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Perennial problem of poor performance in English
language examinations in WASSCE and other public
examinations has continued to be a source of concern to
stakeholders in the Gambian educational system.
Scholars have largely attributed the problem to several
factors – from pedagogy to learner-related factors and
teaching resources - this has led to research efforts in
these areas. Laudable as these efforts are, the problem of
poor performance in English persists. This might be due to
the fact that previous studies have paid little attention to
Oral English and resources employed in teaching of this
aspect of English Language in the Gambia. Some of these
resources include ICT laboratory, language laboratory, e-
books, educational Apps on android cell phones and
teaching aids (charts, dictionaries, audio devices or tape
recorders and so on). Teaching resources play very
important roles in learning irrespective of the choice of
instructional strategy. However, past research efforts have
not examined if these teaching resources are available or
properly utilised in the process of teaching Oral English.
Therefore, there is need to determine the relationship
between availability and utilisation of teaching resources
and students’ achievement in Oral English in the Gambia.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What relationship exists between the independent
variables (Availability and utilization of teaching
resources) and students’ achievement in Oral English
in the Gambia?
2. What is the joint contribution of Availability and
utilization of teaching resources to students’
achievement in Oral English in the Gambia?
3. What is the relative contribution of Availability and
utilization of teaching resources to students’
achievement in Oral English in the Gambia?
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: VYGOTSKY’S SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT THEORY
The social development theory as propounded by Lev
Vygotsky (1896-1934) has become the foundation of much
research and theory in cognitive development over the
years. Vygotsky argued that learning is a necessary and
universal aspect of the process of developing culturally
organized, specifically human psychological function
(Vygotsky, 1978:90). Vygotsky found that children could
solve more difficult problems with some assistance from a
more knowledgeable peer. Thus, Vygotsky coined the
term Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). The ZPD is
the gap between the actual development level and the
level of potential development of a child when he is able to
access support from an experienced adult or in partnership
with peers. The aspect of Vygotsky social development
theory with implications for this study is in the area of the
Olagbaju and Senghore 067
support provided by the teacher or more experienced
adult/peer in the process of instruction through the use of
teaching resources to advance students’ knowledge within
their zone of proximal development.
NATURE AND OBJECTIVE OF TEACHING ORAL
ENGLISH IN THE GAMBIA
English language is one of the core subjects taught in
Gambian secondary school system and success in the
subject is pivotal to university education in the Gambia.
This is because English language remains a prerequisite
for admission to higher institutions of learning in the
Gambia and a compulsory course of study or subject in the
first year of tertiary education and all the levels of
education in the country. Therefore, the objectives of
teaching English studies in the Gambia, particularly in the
secondary school system is to facilitate and enhance both
communicative and linguistic competence of the language
learners. English is taught as a second language to
learners who often come to school after having acquired
one or more of the indigenous languages as their mother
tongue or first language. The four language skills are
taught with varying degrees of success but the speaking
skills is perhaps the most poorly taught because most of
the teachers are second language speakers of the
language as well and they do not have the necessary
teaching resources to concretise the process of
instruction.
The regulations and syllabuses for West African Senior
School Certificate Examination (WAEC, 2014) highlights
the aims and objectives of teaching English Studies in the
secondary school as to promote or facilitate usage of
correct English, writing about incidents in English that are
appropriate to specific audiences and situations;
organisation of materials in paragraphs that are
chronologically, spatially and logically coherent; control of
sentence structures adequately; exhibition of variety in the
choice of sentence patterns; agreement with the rules of
grammar, spellings and punctuations; comprehension of
written and spoken English; recognition of implied
meaning, tones and attitudes; usage of acceptable
pronunciation that can be comprehended by others;
isolation and summarisation of relevant information from
set passages. In relation to the teaching of Oral English,
WAEC stresses the usage of acceptable pronunciation
that is comprehensible by other interlocutors in a
discourse.
Therefore, Adegbite (2005) and Obiegbu (2016) identify
some of the objectives of teaching English language to
include inculcating aptitudes that enable learners to be
able to understand as well as converse effectively in
spoken English, read effectively, comprehend critically and
engage efficiently in expressive and creative writing.
Although these objectives cover the four language skills
basically in linguistic and communicative contents, the
implementation of the English language curriculum in the
Availability and Utilisation of Teaching Resources as Predictors of Secondary Schools Students’ Achievement in Oral English in The Gambia
classroom has not been explicitly or vigorously pursued by
the Gambian government and language teachers. In most
classrooms, the motivation to pass the subject is stronger
than the desire to master it. Therefore, pronunciation drills
and the teaching of both segmental and suprasegmental
aspects of Oral English are mostly done by rote learning.
However, Amuseghan (2007) argues language instruction
should be conducted in the real sense of communicative
situation to improve learners’ ability to understand the
language and produce it in actual communication which is
not the same as meeting the descriptive standard of
examination-oriented English curriculum in schools.
Instruction in English as a Second Language (ESL)
classroom should be focused towards building
communicative competence through interaction. Obanya
(2002) posits that instruction in a second language
classroom should be in form of multi-way and multi-media
exchanges (verbal and non-verbal) in the conduct of
classroom teaching and learning activities. To achieve
communicative competence in English language, there
must be a paradigm shift in the area of instructional
procedure. Emphasis must be shifted from reliance on
textbooks to interactions and the use teaching resources
such as ICT, e-book, charts, educational Apps and
dictionaries to promote communicative competence in the
learners. Classroom instruction in Oral English in Gambian
schools should involve the use of teaching resources and
be planned to promote communicative competence to
overcome the challenges of linguistic or mother tongue
interference.
However, the current instructional procedures in ESL
classrooms in the Gambia are basically for academic and
communicative purposes with little emphasis on the quality
of pronunciation in and out of the classroom. The goal of
teaching in most schools is to prepare the students for
success in the examination while building communicative
competence in the students is secondary. Amuseghan
(2007) posits that apart from examination purposes, the
teaching of English language should include promoting
social interactions and the acquisition of basic language
skills. Teaching and learning of English language should
revolve around the productive and receptive skills which
are needed for linguistic and communicative competence.
Therefore, Obayan (2002) submits that instruction in
English language should be communicative through multi-
way and multi-media exchanges (verbal and non-verbal)
in the classroom teaching and learning process. However,
ESL instruction in Gambian schools is largely tailored to
textbooks-based approaches and direct teaching.
There is too much emphasis on frontal teaching and
textbook based instruction in the English language
classroom, especially Oral English classes in Gambian
schools. The emphasis is on results and not, competence
in the speaking skill. There is a need for the teaching of
Oral English in schools to be more interactive through the
use of teaching resources that will captivate the learners

and develop their linguistic and communicative
competence. This will enhance linguistic and
communicative competence as well as enrich students’
language learning experiences. However, it is important
that these teaching resources should be available in
schools and used by teachers to improve students’
achievement and communicative competence in Oral
English. Therefore, the concern of this study is to
determine the availability and utilisation of teaching
resources on students’ achievement in Oral English in the
Gambia.
COMMON TEACHING RESOURCES IN ORAL ENGLISH
INSTRUCTION
Science and technology play a vital role in the process of
teaching and learning in the 21st century classroom. The
impact of science and technology through the use of social
media and other internet-friendly tools is becoming
increasingly significant in the field of education. Ofodu
(2007) posits that the youths, especially students,
contribute significantly to the number of consumers of ICT
resources because they spend lots of time exploring social
media platforms such as 2go, Facebook, twitter,
WhatsApp and so on. The implication of this is that the
process of teaching and learning cannot continue to ignore
the influence of internet-friendly tools and other forms of
technology when planning or structuring the content to be
learned. The use of tools that the learners are already
familiar with or comfortable with as teaching resources has
the potential to build and sustain their interest in the
learning process.
According to Ofodu and Oso (2015), the use of modern
technology in teaching makes the process of instruction to
be easy, exciting, instructing and interesting. Research
has established that the use of computers and some other
teaching resources can enhance students’ performance in
Oral English. Also, Adeosun (2002) asserts that
Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
appears to be effective at teaching language skills and it
can create a departure from the traditional teaching
method. However, Wangui (2012) laments the poor use of
teaching resources in language instruction especially in
the aspect of teaching English language skills. Wangui
views the use of teaching resources as inadequate in most
schools both in terms of quantity and variety despite the
advantages of making use of such resources in language
teaching.
Effective use of teaching resources can help students
overcome the social problems posed by the chalk and talk
method of instruction. Daramola (2011) found that
teaching resources such as computer discs, monograghs,
textbooks, videos, and tapes are not available in most
classrooms and the few resources available are to a high
extent inadequately utilized for teaching and learning.
Research (Dada 2001; Omoseewo 2004) has established
a correlation between the use of teaching resources and
teaching effectiveness. Also, Junias (2012) conducted a
Availability and Utilisation of Teaching Resources as Predictors of Secondary Schools Students’ Achievement in Oral English in The Gambia
Int. Res. J. Teacher Educ. 068
study to investigate factors affecting the teaching of
English as a Second Language (ESL) and found that poor
use of teaching resources, poor choice of methods,
insufficient teachers’ and learners’ interactions and
overcrowded classrooms were significant factors that
made the teaching of language skills unsuccessful.
Further still, Adeosun (2002) avers that the use of visual
resources such as pictures when combined with the
traditional chalk and talk instructional approach makes the
teaching process highly effective. Nalusiba (2010) found
that inadequate teaching resources inhibited the reading
culture among the pupils in Uganda. ICT can be used as
teaching resources in Oral English classrooms to offer
vivid visual and acoustic demonstrations of the English
sounds. Language laboratories could be expensive or
difficult to set up, but language teachers can teach speech
demonstration and listening drills by downloading learning
apps on English speech sounds. Oyinloye and Gbenedio
(2010) considers the ICT as a useful tool in language
instruction because it can be of immense assistance in the
form of teaching resources in language teaching. Despite
the volume of research on the effectiveness of teaching
resources such as ICT, language laboratory, e-book,
audio/tapes, charts and dictionaries on improving
students’ learning outcomes, there seems to be little or no
information on the availability and use of teaching
resources in Oral English instruction in Gambian schools.
Therefore, this study determined the availability and
utilisation of teaching resources in the teaching of Oral
English in the Gambia.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study adopted descriptive survey design of a
correlational type. This is appropriate since the
researchers had no direct control of the independent
variables as their manifestations have already existed. The
independent variables in the study were designed to
investigate whether their manifestation would have any
significant predictive relationship with the dependent
variables.
Variables in the Study
This study was guided by two independent variables
(availability and utilization of teaching resources) and one
dependent variable (achievement in Oral English). The
independent variables were used to predict students’
achievement in Oral English in senior secondary schools.
Availability and utilization of teaching resources were
classified into three levels: low (0-39), average (40-69) and
high (70-100).
Population and Sampling Procedure
The target population of the study comprised all the Grade
11 students in the Gambia. Participants for this study were
Olagbaju and Senghore 069
randomly selected from six senior secondary public co-
educational schools in Kanifing and Brikama Local
Government Areas of the Gambia. The sample size was
853 students and 20 English language teachers from the
selected schools.
Research Instruments
Questionnaire on Availability and Utilization of
Resources Teaching in Oral English (QAURTOE)
This instrument was a self-designed questionnaire to elicit
responses from the English language teachers on the level
of availability and utilization of teaching resources in
instructional delivery in ESL Oral English classrooms in
Gambian schools. The instrument was divided into two
sections A and B. Section A requires general demographic
information of the participants such as school, sex,
qualification, years of experience, classes taught and so
on. Section B comprises 20 items – 10 for each availability
and utilization of teaching resources in Oral English
classrooms. QATURTOE was structured along a modified
four-point scale of (i) Always, (ii) Sometimes (iii) Rarely,
and (iv) Never. The instrument was revalidated in terms of
language of presentation, clarity, and relevance of the
items to the variable. The instrument was trial-tested on 6
English language teachers from two schools outside the
sample schools for the main study and responses of the
teachers were analysed using Cronbach alpha and the
reliability coefficient of 0.78 was obtained.
Students’ Achievement Test in Oral English (SATOE)
The instrument was adapted from the WASSCE past
question series by the researchers to assess students’
knowledge of Oral English. The WASSCE past questions
were adapted in line with the scope of this study which is
the segmental aspects of Oral English. Therefore, all the
questions on the suprasegmental features of English
sounds were expunged. The instrument was divided into
two sections A and B. Section A consists of general
questions to obtain demographic information of the
participants such as school, class, age, sex, and so on.
Section B comprises twenty-five (25) items on the
segmental features of English language sound patterns.
The achievement test is a multiple-choice type with four
options lettered A, B, C, and D. The students were
required to select the correct option. The instrument was
subjected to content and face validity by experts in test
construction and evaluation before the final drafts were
produced. For reliability, test-retest procedure at an
Table 1: Correlation Matrix of the Relationship between the Independent Variables (Availability and utilization of teaching
resources) and Students’ Achievement in Oral English
Variables Students’
Achievement in of Teaching of Teaching
Oral English
Students’ Achievement in Oral English 1.000
Availability of Teaching Resources .079 (.273)
Teachers’ Utilisation of Teaching Resources -.112 (.637)
Availability and Utilisation of Teaching Resources as Predictors of Secondary Schools Students’ Achievement in Oral English in The Gambia
interval of two weeks was conducted on the 25-item
instrument. A total of 210 Grade 11 students in two schools
outside the sample schools for the main study were
involved and a reliability coefficient of 0.89 was obtained.
Methods of Data Analysis
The English language teachers filled the QATORTOE and
their students wrote the SATOE simultaneously. Data
collected were subjected to various statistical analyses
using Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC),
Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) and various
descriptive statistics tools such as mean, frequency count,
standard deviation and simple percentage. These
statistical tools were used to test the extent to which the
independent variables in the study would be able to predict
students’ achievement in Oral English.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
Research Questions One: What relationship exists
between the independent variables (Availability and
Utilization of teaching resources) and students’
achievement in Oral English in the Gambia?
Table 1 shows the patterns of relationship that exist
between the independent variables (Availability and
Utilization of teaching resources) and the dependent
variable (students’ achievement in Oral English). The
result indicates that students’ achievement in Oral English
had a non-significant positive low relationship with
availability of teaching resources (r = .079; p>.05) but a
non-significant negative low relationship with teachers’
utilization of teaching resources (r = -.112; p>.05).
Research Question Two: What is the joint contribution of
Availability and utilization of teaching resources to
students’ achievement in Oral English in the Gambia?
Table 2 shows the joint contribution of the independent
variables (Availability and utilization of teaching resources)
to students’ achievement in oral English. The result
indicates that the contribution of the two independent
variables when pulled together was not significant on
students’ achievement in Oral English (F (2; 17) = .371;
Adj. R2= -.071; p>.05). This implies that variation in
students’ achievement in oral English was not accounted
for by the joint contribution of the two independent
variables and that other models not included in this
residual might have accounted for it.
Availability Utilisation No. Mean Std.
Dev.
Resources Resources
195 10.11 2.762
1.000 195 32.77 9.514
.222 (.346) 1.000 20 60.05 8.488

Table 2: Summary of Regression Analysis of the Joint Contribution of the Independent Variables to the Dependent
Variable
R= .204
R Square = .042
Adjusted R Square = -.071
Std. Error of the Estimate = 3.086
Model Sum of Squares df
Regression 7.065 2 3.533
1 Residual 161.885 17
Total 168.950 19
Table 3: Summary of Regression Analysis of the Relative Contribution of the Independent Variables to the Dependent
Variable
Model Unstandardized
Coefficients
B Std. Error Beta
(Constant) 10.327 5.833
1 Availability of Teaching Resources .066 .092
Teachers’ Utilization of Teaching Resources -.053 .086
Research Question Three: What is the relative
contribution of Availability and utilization of teaching
resources to students’ achievement in Oral English in the
Gambia?
Table 3 shows the relative contribution of the independent
variables (Availability and utilization of teaching resources)
to students’ achievement in oral English, as expressed in
beta weight. The result indicates that the relative
contribution of both Availability of teaching resources (β =
.175; t = .720; p>.05) and teachers’ utilization of teaching
resources (β = -.151; t = -.622; p>.05) were not significant.
However, availability of teaching resources with the higher
beta weight (.175) is the variable that better contributed to
students’ achievement in Oral English.
The result showed an insignificant low positive relationship
between availability of resources and students’
achievement in Oral English. Also, there is an insignificant
low negative relationship between utilisation of teaching
and achievement in Oral English. This result negates the
findings of Adeosun (2002) and Ofodu and Oso (2015) that
the availability and use of teaching resources improve
students’ achievement. The implication of this result is that
there are other variables that could have contributed to
students’ achievement in Oral English apart from the
availability and utilisation of teaching resources. Also, the
result did not agree with Oyinloye and Gbenedio (2010)
who submit that teaching resources are useful tools in
language instruction because they contribute significantly
to students’ learning outcomes.
The findings on the relationship between availability and
utilisation of teaching resources and students’
achievement support the work of Lasisi (2001) that the
availability and use of appropriate teaching resources
should not be sacrificed for the use of innovative
instructional strategies. The findings of this study also
Availability and Utilisation of Teaching Resources as Predictors of Secondary Schools Students’ Achievement in Oral English in The Gambia
Int. Res. J. Teacher Educ. 070
Mean Square F Sig.
.371 .696b
9.523
Standardized T Sig. Rank
Coefficients
1.770 .095
.175 .720 .482 1st
-.151 -.622 .542 2nd
support Onchera (2013) that many schools do not provide
a variety of teaching resources needed for English
instruction. The study also found that availability and
utilisation of teaching resources have no significant
contribution to students’ achievement in Oral English. The
implication of this result is that students’ achievement in
Oral English was not accounted for by the joint contribution
of the independence variables.
The result negates the findings of Nalusiba (2010) that
inadequate teaching resources inhibited the students’
learning outcome. The result also disagrees with the
findings of similar studies by Dada (2001) and Omoseewo
(2004) that there is a correlation between the use of
teaching resources, teaching effectiveness and students’
achievement. Similarly, the results negate the findings of
Junias (2009) that the use of teaching resources
contributes to students’ learning outcomes. The relative
contribution of the independent variables was not
significant. Availability of teaching resources contributed
more to students’ achievement in Oral English than the
utilisation of the teaching resources. The result negates
the findings of Namata (2010) and Andima (2013) that the
use and not availability of teaching resources contributed
significantly to students’ achievement and motivating for
learners. Some of these resources include but are not
limited to library books, newspapers, flash cards,
periodicals, journals, magazines, printed materials, charts,
recordings, videos, pictures, online resources and all
technology-based resources.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The study determined the correlation between availability
and utilisation of teaching resources and students’
achievement in Oral English. The result showed that there
was no significant relationship between the independent
Olagbaju and Senghore 071
variables and students’ achievement in Oral English. Also,
there was no joint contribution of availability and utilisation
of teaching resources and students’ learning outcomes in
Oral English. The third findings of this study showed that
there was no significant relative contribution of the
independent variables and students’ achievements in Oral
English. The result confirms that there are several other
factors that contribute to students’ achievement in Oral
English in the Gambia apart from the availability and
utilisation of teaching resources. Based on the findings of
this study, the following recommendations were made:
1. Besides teaching resources, language teachers
should consider the contributions of other factors such
as gender, interest, verbal ability and language anxiety
to students’ achievement in Oral English.
2. Instruction in Oral English in the senior secondary
school should include the use of teaching resources.
3. The Gambian government should make teaching
resources available for teachers to improve the quality
of instruction in schools.
4. School administrators and other stakeholders must
ensure that language teachers utilise teaching
resources in the process of teaching English language
especially Oral English.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We acknowledge all the students and staff of the schools
used for this study and the research assistants, especially
Messrs Ebrima Ceesay, Olamidotun Awosusi, Femi
Akinsola and Alhagie Lamin Cessay.
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Citation: Olagbaju OO, Senghore A (2020). Availability
and Utilisation of Teaching Resources as Predictors of
Secondary Schools Students’ Achievement in Oral English
in The Gambia. International Research Journal of Teacher
Education, 5(1): 064-072.
Copyright: © 2020 Olagbaju and Senghore. This is an
open-access article distributed under the terms of the
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